Southampton have been relegated from the Premier League after losing 2-0 to Fulham at St Mary’s.
The Saints have endured a rotten season, with a young squad failing to gel under three different managers in Ralph Hasenhuttl, Nathan Jones and Ruben Selles.
With only two games remaining, Southampton can no longer finish any higher than 19th. It means the south coast side will compete in the Championship for the first time since 2011/12, when they were promoted to the top flight in second place.
Carlos Vinicius’ strike had Fulham 1-0 up in the first half before the returning Aleksandar Mitrovic sealed the hosts’ fate just over midway through the second half.
Southampton’s home form has been one of the key reasons for their demise. Just two wins and four draws have been picked up at St Mary’s, with every other fixture ending in defeat.
Hasenhuttl was sacked in early November when a 4-1 defeat to Newcastle left the Saints in the relegation zone after a run of six losses in nine league games. Nathan Jones was then drafted in for his first Premier League job but lost seven of his eight top flight matches and was dismissed in February.
A 1-0 win over Leicester sparked hopes of survival in early March but a subsequent run of ten games without a victory means they will drop into the second tier.
Who will join Southampton in the Championship?
The other two relegation spots are very much up for grabs, so to speak.
Leicester have 30 points in 19th with a game in hand over Leeds, who are a point ahead with two matches left to play after their draw with Newcastle.
Everton are still at risk with three games left to go for Sean Dyche, but Forest now look unlikely to succumb to the drop after securing another point at Stamford Bridge.
Burnley and Sheffield United will join the Premier League next season alongside the play-off winner, while the Saints will have trips to Plymouth and Ipswich to look forward to after their promotions from League One.
